Roth enters race for seat in Essex

In his hopes to capitalize on what he sees as a “Chance for Change in Essex County,” Louis A. “Butch” Roth, Jr. has entered the electoral race for Greater Tappahannock Dist. Supervisor.

Roth was born June 18, 1947 at Grace Hospital in Richmond and grew up in Highland Springs, where he attended elementary and middle school.

At his father’s bidding, he transferred to Benedictine High School for one, the establishment where Roth said he “became a man.”

“I attribute my discipline, integrity and focus on project completion to Benedictine and its high standard of Christian Schooling,” Roth said.

In 2003, Roth and his wife, Patricia, moved in 2003 to Tappahannock, where they built a home on Cold Cheer Drive.

Over the years, Roth has been involved in the technical field, having begun his career in the Heat Treating Department in Hauni Richmond where he worked to extend the life of critical-wear parts for tobacco machinery.

Hauni Richmond rewarded him

for his dedication by sponsoring him through the Metals Engineering Institute in Cleveland, OH as well as through training courses in Richmond, Germany and France.

Roth attributed the training and Hauni’s support to his ability to develop a manufacturing process for the AWACS Radar System in conjunction with Westinghouse Defense Center.

Additionally, Roth performed failure analysis on driveline parts for several NASCAR race teams, including that of seven-time series champion Dale Earnhardt.

Roth also managed two departments in the Richmond-based Qimonda semiconductor facility when it was named Infineon.

According to Roth, the two departments were the poorest-performing sections of the company before he joined. But Roth said that, under his management, both of his departments “worked around the clock” and soon became “the top performers in comparison to the other three shifts.”

While working for Infineon, Roth said he realized that an individual could only be as good as the people with which he or she surrounded him or herself.

“This is one of my strong traits that I believe I can put to use in making Essex County a better place to live,” he said. “Essex…is a rough-cut diamond that needs to be shaped and polished to expose its full potential.”

Roth will challenge incumbent Chairman E. Stanley Langford on a platform of bringing growth and development to the county.

In outlining what he would aim to accomplish as county supervisor, Roth emphasized working with Essex County Public Schools (ECPS) to improve the school system to the “best affordable means” available to the county.

“We all have obligations and responsibilities to provide our children with as many advantages scholastically as possible,” said Roth, adding that he would like to see a greater level of “discipline and respect” among ECPS students.

In order to make the necessary improvements to the school division, Roth said the county needed individuals on the school board who were also educators.

“I think one of the big things we need to do is try to get people…that understand where the shortcomings are to help improve the system,” he said.

Roth also highlighted his intentions to attract new industry to Essex in order to provide “good-paying jobs” to local residents and create tax-based revenue that would help “grow the county in a positive way.”

In relation to the Sheriff’s Office, Roth expressed his desire to assist Sherriff Stanley Clarke in better protecting county citizens and combating local drug use, while also envisioning the addition of a patrol boat to law enforcement as a part of his long-term plan for the future.

Furthermore, Roth shared that he stands on the principal of “fair and equal taxation for all citizens of Essex County,” and that he is convinced he has the skills and experience necessary to make his hopes for his constituency a “reality.”

“I have the tenacity of a bulldog, and when I focus on an objective, I do not give up,” said Roth. “I give it 110 percent of my attention to reach my objective.”